Career Pathways

How can they have a dream if they do not know what is possible to dream about?

Vision

Career Pathways Nonprofit Vision

Career Labs USA is a nonprofit passion project that reimagines career pathways in education. It started with something I heard from a staff member while consulting at a school in Southeast Los Angeles. He told me, “Students from disadvantaged communities like ours who make it to university often drop out after a year or two. Not because of academics. Because they don’t fit in. They do not have exposure, connections, or mentors outside of their communities before college. So they feel overwhelmed when they get to college.”

My co-founder, Pernell Marsh, and I realized we could do something about that. We started a volunteer program leveraging our networks of successful professionals. The program coached these professionals how to lead hands-on career workshops in the after school program. During the two years we ran the volunteer program, we realized that our entire approach to career pathways education needs to be reimagined. We put together a blueprint for introducing students to careers through a combination of learning from role models and practicing true-to-life career challenges. Then in the second half of 2019 we incorporated as a nonprofit organization.

Blueprint

K through Career

A new blueprint for career pathways starts with Career. Our society starts with information. We give students lots of knowledge throughout their educational journey. Then we expect them to make sense of it all when they finish school. The best advice many students are given is to get into college, “you will figure it out there.” Many, if not most, students who go that route find themselves with a college degree and still haven’t figured it out. So most of us take whatever job we can get. Then we muddle through trying to make a career out of wherever we landed.

We often ask young people, “What is your dream?” It turns out that is an unfair question. How can they have a dream if they do not know what is possible to dream about? Career Labs starts with giving students the ability to dream.

The reimagined view of career pathways starts as early as possible and continues throughout a student’s future career. It starts by giving students possible dreams. Then it helps them narrow down to a small set of possible dreams that align with their own abilities and interests. Armed with inspiration, knowledge, and life skills, students will be able to plan their own futures. With a vision, students are motivated and put in the work that classroom assignments alone cannot produce. At every step along the way, career professionals are engaged to help in that journey of discovery.

We believe the most effective blueprint for career pathways starts with reimagining the culture of work itself. In our society, the driving “meaning” behind work is to make money so we can get the things we want in life. Most career professionals I speak to don’t want it to be that way. When given the opportunity to give back through participating in a Career Labs program, everyone I have spoken to has been excited about the prospect. This goes for both professionals and employers. They often do not have time or do not know how to go about making it work out. But they want to do it almost every time.

This is an area of corporate social responsibility with an incredible pent up demand. Educators do not know how to go about connecting with employers or professionals. They need our help. This was the starting point for Career Labs USA. A major goal is to create a structured series of programs along with a network of employers and professionals to participate in those programs.

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Nonprofit Organization

Career Labs USA

Career Labs builds partnerships between professionals, employers, and schools to train young people to become real-life heroes in successful careers who are making a positive impact in their worlds.

In-Scho0l Programs

In-School Labs are held after school or in-class. They combine storytelling, practical how-to steps, and hands-on workshops

Distance Learning

Quality distance learning experiences for students or anyone who wants to discover their possible dream careers

Corporate Social Responsibility

Our vision is to help professionals and employers create a virtuous cycle of giving back and bringing a new generation of inspired young people into their career fields

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Curriculum

Online Career Discovery Courses

Students discover possible dream careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. Each unit includes an overview of five key career sectors, an inspirational career story from a successful professional in the field, and career challenges for teams or individuals reflecting true-to-life work scenarios.

The course also includes a workbook and extensive resources for teachers to use either in a distance learning program or in their classrooms